The holiday home is a non-hotel accommodation facility which provides for the temporary rental to tourists of an apartment or house furnished as an alternative to the hotel.
The most common definition worldwide is that used in the United States of vacation rental. In Europe the term villa for rent or for holidays is used more frequently for the rental of isolated houses in places with hot climates. Other definitions used are self-catering accommodation, vacation rentals (in the United Kingdom), holiday cottage (for renting small rural accommodation) and cottages (in rural France). Vacation homes that were once the most popular option for low-cost travel in Europe and especially in the United Kingdom, as well as in the United States and Canada, are now spreading all over the world. In England it is customary to rent the so-called "seahouse" by the sea
They are fully furnished private properties, whether they are holiday villas, apartments, rural houses, condominiums, town houses, family homes or for individuals. By virtue of this the offer is wide and inconsistent (from the Spartan studio to the luxurious villa) thus allowing a very diversified choice. In rural areas the accommodation formula of the agritourism can include participation in the typical activities of a farm (agricultural work, direct contact with animals) or a more conventional type of rent which is only logistical accommodation in an agricultural context. The tourist plans his vacation even a long time before and consequently books the accommodation which generally lasts weekly for rural areas and seaside resorts while it can be for intervals of less than three or even one night in the cities. The holiday homes vary according to the budget available. In the case of travelers with high budgets, expensive private villas are available in the most desirable locations in the world, with all the comforts present in luxury hotel structures, such as to satisfy all their needs. Some holiday homes, especially condominiums or apartments, offer some services similar to those of hotels. At the other end there are offers such as rental of campers and motorhomes.
The supply of vacation homes, which is present in most North American states, is prevalent in major tourist areas such as Florida, Hawaii, California and other coastal areas with beaches, where they can also be referred to as houses. by the sea, many of which are rented rather than owned and are sub-rented for short periods.
In Europe, holiday villas are particularly sought after, especially in Spain, Greece, Italy and Turkey. In France, gîtes, country houses are more sought after.
The largest market in the world is the European one, while the most popular destination in the United States are the villas of Florida, also for Europeans.
There is a large variety of similar non-hotel structures, the most common are: the residences, the holiday homes, the timeshare, the youth hostels, religious houses of hospitality, non-hotel period residences, farmhouses, bed and breakfasts and guest houses. Some of them have structural and service characteristics very similar to holiday homes and the differences are managerial and tax-based, depending on how they are regulated in the various countries.
Traditional hotels generally do not include holiday homes. However, hotels with the most recent multi-purpose formulas include elements such as villas and condominiums that can be rented through the hotel, directly from their owners or through agencies.
Vacation homes are advertised through an agency or directly from the owner, usually via the Internet. Many of the owners use insertion services which with standardized methods provide tourists with the description of the houses accompanied by photographs, by the owner. To facilitate relations between the owner and the renter, the sites provide for direct dialogue, in order to establish the rules for payment, cancellation and check-in / out. There are also sites specifically dedicated to some particular types of holiday homes such as luxury homes, in a rural setting, etc. Direct forms of booking are also possible without the owner requesting consent. If the management is also carried out by the agencies, they manage the bookings and billing on behalf of the landlord, and there is no direct contact between the customer and the owner, furthermore the additional costs are applied to the rental rates which are more high.
Travel agencies also offer the possibility of renting holiday homes to expand the offer of facilities in the chosen location and low cost airlines offer their customers in addition to the car rental agreements stay in holiday homes which they advertise
For renters: it is possible that the description of the apartment and the external context described in the photos do not correspond to the real ones since both the description and the photographic documentation are handled by the owner. It can be verified that the dimensions do not correspond to the actual ones and that the photos represent larger rooms, more luminous and with different furnishings than those shown. Similarly, it may happen that, with photos representing monuments or beaches or other particularly attractive places, we try to simulate a proximity to the apartment that is actually in a completely different context. In order to reduce the risk percentages and ensure a correspondence between what is requested and the offer declared by the owners, the most important sites where the ads are made, not being able to directly verify the veracity of the descriptions, have set up a system of reviews that allows you to read the opinion of the previous tenants and for the owners that on the behavior of the previous tenants.
For the owners: one of the main risks is the failure to comply with the payment terms, both for the booking and for the balance . It may happen that the furnishings are damaged and the tenant is expected to pay the damage.
Holiday homes in Italy are governed by regional laws that implement Law 29 March 2001, no. 135 - "Reform of national tourism legislation" and in particular the Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers September 13, 2002 "Transposition of the agreement between the State, the regions and the autonomous provinces on the principles for 'harmonization, enhancement and development of the tourism system "which in art. 1, paragraph 2, letter b), identifies the types of tourism businesses operating in the sector and unconventional hospitality activities, including holiday homes and apartments. The same Decree establishes that these activities are mainly addressed to non-residents and aimed at the use of leisure time, the well-being of the person, cultural enrichment, information, promotion and tourism communication, where they are not the responsibility of others sectors.